


It's Scary What A Smile Can Hide

by haikyuutsukkitrash



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Disabled Character, Disabled Hinata Shouyou, Hurt Hinata Shouyou, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Hinata Shouyou, Injury, Karasuno Family, Karasuno vs Aoba Johsai, M/M, Major Character Injury, My First Work in This Fandom, One-Sided Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Physical Disability, Practice match, Prosthesis, Volleyball, disabled!Hinata, prosthetic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2018-10-22 15:35:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10699950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikyuutsukkitrash/pseuds/haikyuutsukkitrash
Summary: Half of Hinata's leg is missing. All this time, he has been playing Volleyball with a prosthetic leg. No one on his team knows about this, and he'd like to keep it that way.When they attend a practice match against Aoba Johsai, Hinata finally gets to see Oikawa again, his friend who helped him get through his rehabilitation after the accident. They are extremely close, but again, the team had no idea.But what will happen when something goes horribly wrong? Will Oikawa still help him? How will the team react?What if everything ends up being a lot worse than they originally thought?





	1. Nobody Knows

“Everyone gather around!” Daichi yelled out, getting everyone’s attention. Practise had just finished and the members of the Karasuno volleyball team looked exhausted. “As you all know, tomorrow is our first practise match of the year, and the first time we’ll be playing together with this team. It’s gonna be a hard one, so be prepared! Aoba Johsai is one of the top power house school in the prefecture, so let’s give it our all!”

 

As captain of the team, Daichi had full faith in everyone. This year’s first years were all a bit strange. There's Kageyama Tobio who’s always grumpy and mean but one of the best setters he’s ever seen; Hinata Shouyou, who refuses to take of his long pants, but has more energy than the actual sun; The salty and anti-social Tsukishima Kei who, deep down, knows he really does love volleyball and his friendly sidekick Yamaguchi Tadashi, who’s well underway to becoming Karasuno’s most reliable pinch server.

 

~~~

 

“I wish it was Saturday already! A really good friend of mine plays volleyball at Aoba Johsai, he used to help me practise a couple of years ago and he was all like ‘SWOOSH’ and he’d spike the ball like ‘BWAM’ it’s amazing I can’t wait to see him again it’s been so long since I saw him last!”

 

“Dumbass, get changed already I want to go home.” Kageyama’s not sure why he’s friends with Hinata, but it just works. They trust each other, tell each other everything and he knows that, no matter what, Hinata will always be there for him to spike his tosses.

 

“I finished like five minutes ago, Bakageyama! I’m waiting for you!”

 

“What about your pants? They’re all sweaty, it’s gross.”

 

“I’ll just change when I get home, I’ll have to take them off anyway when I take a shower.”

 

Truth is, Hinata has a secret he’s been keeping from the team. They’re always asking him if he isn’t too hot, and why he won’t take off his pants. Reason being, he’s missing half his leg. No one at Karasuno knows this, even Kageyama. He’d probably get kicked off the team if they found out, which is by far his worst nightmare. Why would they want to play with someone with only one leg? If they found out… he’d probably never get to play again.

 

“Hinata, are you ok? You’re kinda spacing out a bit there.” The remaining members in the club room looked at him worriedly. It’s not often their little ball of sunshine is so quiet for more than five minutes. It’s been seven.

 

“Yeah, fine. Kageyama and I will be leaving now, bye!” He rushed out the door, dragging Kageyama with him.

 

“What was that all about, dumbass Hinata!”

 

“Just realised I need to get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow, so I wanna go home too!” Go home and take off this prosthetic leg that, even though it’s one of the proper athletic models, hurts like a bitch after every practise.

 

~~~ The Next Day ~~~

 

The boys just arrived at Aoba Johsai, where the match will take place. Everyone, excluding Tsukishima, of course, can’t wait to get off this bus and go to the gym. Hinata’s practically bouncing in his seat, and the moment the doors open he’s outside.

 

“Hurry up, guys! We have to find him!”

 

“Hinata, calm down before you puke all over the place again! We’ll grab our stuff and then head inside, ok?” Tanaka laughed, but everyone was wondering the same thing. Who was this friend, and why was he so important to Hinata?

 

They were about to enter the gym, where the Aoba Johsai volleyball team was waiting for them when suddenly,

 

“TOORUUUU!” Hinata sprinted away from the team towards Oikawa Tooru and jumped in his arms, leaving a very shocked and confused group of boys behind.

 

“Shouyou, be careful! It’s so good to see you again!”

 

“Did he just say Tooru? As in, the one and only Oikawa Tooru, Aoba Johsai’s captain, and THIRD year and best setter in the prefecture and-“

 

“My awful senpai.” Daichi was cut off by very angry, grumpy looking Kageyama. “He never told me his friend was OIKAWA OF ALL PEOPLE WHY DIDN’T HE TELL ME?”

 

“Kageyama, calm down! We’re all shocked here, but let’s just see what’s going on first.”

 

The boys all walked over to Hinata, who was currently being held up in the air by Oikawa. The two didn’t seem to notice the team coming closer, lost in their own little world.

 

“How’s your leg? Last time I saw you, you were still struggling a lot but you seem so much better now!” Hinata quickly looked behind him to see if anyone heard him. It seemed safe, although Suga did look worried and confused, but that’s expected of a team mum who saw his son jump into their rival’s arms, so he ignored it.

 

“Still hurts like a bitch when I play for too long, but don’t worry I know how to take care of it now! But, I, umm, I haven’t exactly told my team so, can you please keep it quiet?” Oikawa looked at him as if he’s the most stupid human being he’s ever seen. How could he not tell his team that his LEG is MISSING?!

 

“Hinata, you dumbass, how can you not tell the-“

 

“Tell us what? Are you two dating or something?”

 

“Tobio-chan! Are you jealous?” Oikawa smirked and Hinata doesn’t think he’s ever seen Kageyama’s face so red before. Oikawa seemed to notice it too. “Don’t worry Tobio-chan! We’ve just been besties for a couple of years now, that’s all!” Hinata jumped down and joined his team again, hoping to avoid further questioning.

 

“Ok…” Coach Ukai decided to take control of the situation. “We’ll start warming up now. Everyone get ready for the match, we can discuss this after. Let’s go!”

 

“Bye Shouyou! You better show me how much you’ve improved, but believe me when I say that we won’t lose!”

 

~~~

 

The tension was very high during warm-up. Everyone had questions but, as coach said, they can talk about it after. Fortunately, as soon as the game started all of the tension was forgotten.

 

The match went pretty well. Karasuno won the first set, with a score of 22-24, which was very unexpected, seeing as they were playing against one of the best schools in the prefecture! This win seemed to really fire up their opponents, and the second set was taken by Aoba Johsai. This took a lot longer, with the final score being 29-31. The team would be lying if they said they didn’t notice the worried glances Oikawa kept giving Hinata, especially when he was going in for a spike, and they wondered, what about Hinata made Oikawa worry so much?

 

They were nearing the end of the break between the second and third set when Oikawa came over to Hinata and pulled him aside, confusing the team once again.

 

“Hey this is your first real match, right? How’s your leg holding up? We’ve been going for over an hour now.” Oikawa looked worried, and rightfully so. He was there when Hinata’s leg got crushed by a car. He witnessed the accident, and wanted to help him in any way he could. He was there when Hinata got his first prosthetic, plastic and slightly too big. He was there when he went through rehabilitation, one of the hardest times in Hinata’s life. He was there when he finally got his own, professional leg and he had never seen Hinata happier, but he was also there when they were practising, and Hinata kept going even though it hurt and he landed his jump wrongly, screaming out in pain. He ended up in the hospital for three days. It was a very scary event, and Oikawa hoped he never has to see it again.

 

“I should be fine. Nothing has happened in a while, fortunately, and besides, I want to win this game!” Hinata jumped up and down excitedly, demonstrating that it was fine, but Oikawa could see right through him. “Fine, Tooru, it hurts a little, but I’ve had worse remember? As long as I'm careful running and jumping it won't be any worse than at practice.”

 

They returned to their teams and got ready for the third set. Hinata ignored any questions asked, brushing them off with a simple “just catching up, having a chat”. The set started and surprisingly, Karasuno was taking the lead. Hinata’s playing was greatas always, but Oikawa saw his face, and noticed the light leaving his eyes a little bit after each time he jumped to spike. He was in pain. His own team didn’t seem to notice, but how could they? They don’t know what’s actually wrong with Hinata. It worried Oikawa.

 

The current score was 21-22, with Karasuno in the lead. So close to match point, and so close to beating a powerhouse school. Their current positions were one of their strongest rotations, with Kageyama and Hinata in perfect positions for their freak quick attack. Asahi hit a nice serve, which was easily received by Aoba Johsai’s skilled libero and smoothly returned to Oikawa, who gave their ace Iwaizumi one of his favourite tosses. His powerful spike broke through Karasuno’s wall of blockers and was about to score Aoba Johsai a point, when Nishinoya rolled across the court and received it with his foot, somehow managing to return it to Kageyama. They were going in for their attack. Hinata was running up, preparing for a spike in minus tempo, something only them two could do together. He ran, Kageyama tossed, Hinata jumped… and then everything went horribly wrong.


	2. Can it get any worse?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's definitely something wrong with Hinata's leg, but what if that's not the only body part that got hurt?

Oikawa knew. He could see it the moment Hinata jumped, it looked exactly like a couple of years ago. Instead of the satisfying sound of a perfectly spiked ball hitting the ground, a bloodcurdling scream was all that could be heard, before Hinata fell to the ground, hitting his head in the process, and crying out in pain.

 

 _Oh no. Not again. Not again, not again, please let this be a dream._ But Oikawa knew this was no dream. This was reality. Then it occurred to him… Karasuno has no idea what’s going on.

 

“SHOUYOU!” Less than a second later Oikawa was by his side, rolling Hinata over so he was lying on his back. He still remembered what to do from all those years ago, he could never forget. “Shouyou? Shouyou can you hear me? It’s Oikawa. I’m here, ok? Just like last time this happened. It’s going to be ok.”

 

He noticed Hinata’s teammates coming closer. Hinata didn’t want the team to know, but there is no other choice. “Hinata, I’m going to take your pants off, ok. It’s the only way, you understand, right?” Hinata nodded. He trusted Tooru more than anyone.

 

“It hurts, Tooru. It hurts so much. I think it moved when I jumped. I must’ve jumped on an angle and it unlocked. I can feel it digging into my skin.” Hinata screamed, still crying and holding onto Tooru like he’s the only thing keeping him alive. “Please, take it off! Please!”

 

The team members looked at their coach and teacher, who looked just as confused at the boys. Take what off? What could be hurting Hinata so badly? They didn’t even notice anything wrong, how could Oikawa? They all ran over to the pair still on the ground, and noticed Oikawa’s team looking just as lost. Oikawa mentioned a ‘last time’, has this happened before? They’ve never had any bad injuries occur during matches or even practise. If something was really wrong with Hinata, wouldn’t he have told us?

 

“Hinata, I need you to lift up your bum for me so I can take off your pants. Can you do that for me?”

 

“HEY!” Daichi jumped in, “What are you doing taking his pants off? What just happened?” He needed answers, he wanted to help, they all did. Suga sat down and held Hinata’s other hand, while Yamaguchi held his head in his lap. Oikawa decided to ignore all the questions being asked around him and help Hinata instead.

 

“If you can push off of your good leg, I’ll do it quickly.” _Good leg?_ They all thought. _Does that mean he has a bad leg?_

 

Nothing could have prepared them for what happened next. Oikawa slipped his pants off of his good leg and slowly slid it down over his prosthetic. Shocked gasps could be heard all around them. No one moved. No one spoke…. No one knew.

 

“WELL WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING THERE FOR?” Of course, Oikawa understood this wasn’t easy for them, but there was no time for them to process this. Hinata needed help. Now. “Daichi, get me some towels, jumpers, anything that’s soft. Asahi, in Hinata’s bag should be a jar with some crème, get that too me asap. If you see any other medicine, bring that too.  Tobio-chan, get me his water bottle. Iwa-chan, please run to the school nurse and get her in here ASAP. PLEASE HURRY!” Oikawa was starting to panic a little. He hated seeing him like this, it reminded him of last time this happened. He just hoped that this wouldn’t be huge setback for Hinata’s volleyball career.

 

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Tanaka yelled out. They all seemed to snap out of their shocked state at once. “HINATA HOW? WHAT? WHEN?” ‘Confusion’ was the only way to describe what they felt in this moment, but Hinata was in too much pain to acknowledge any of it.

 

Halfway down his leg, just above his knee, his leg just… stopped. Instead there was a black piece of plastic that replaced it. Except right now, the black plastic was covered in red. When he jumped up to spike, his prosthetic leg unlocked on one side and shifted slightly due to the force with which Hinata landed. The edge of the plastic was now digging into the stump at the end of his leg, acting like a knife and slicing open his skin.

 

 _This shouldn’t be happening._ Hinata thought. _This shouldn’t be possible. The team wasn’t supposed to know. This is the end. I can no longer play volleyball._ Hinata could hear everyone around him. He noticed some of his friends walking away to grab the supplies Oikawa needed, but his vision was too blurry to distinguish who it was. He heard the questions they were asking him. _How can you play volleyball? When did this happen? How did this happen? Why didn’t you tell us?_ But he was too far gone to reply.

 

“Coach Ukai? In the corner over there is a first aid kit. I need it.” All the Karasuno students were impressed with how relatively well Oikawa was handling the situation. They could see in his eyes that he was panicking, that he was scared, but he stayed strong to help Hinata. That’s when they realised he had been through this before, and that’s why Hinata and him are so close.

 

That’s when Oikawa noticed that Hinata’s eyes kept closing. This wasn’t good. “Yamaguchi, show me your left hand.” They could hear the dread in Oikawa’s voice, afraid of what he was expecting to see. Yamaguchi, who was too in shock to notice before, suddenly gasped. His hand was covered in blood. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT! He hit his head harder than I originally thought!”

 

“Ok, Shouyou. I need you to focus on my voice, please. You hit your head hard when you fell. You understand what this means, right? You have to stay awake.”

 

“Tooru… stay with me…” Hinata slurred.

 

“Always, Shouyou. Always. I promised you remember? Trust me and keep listening to my voice.” Oikawa was on the verge of tears, struggling to stay strong. Even though they haven’t seen each other in a while, they went through so much together and they care more about each other than anyone else. They’re each other’s best friends. Hinata’s his best friend, brother almost. He can’t lose him. He can’t.

 

“Oikawa-san?” Suga asked nervously, “Hinata’s eyes, they’re closed.”

 

 _No… no no no no no…._

“Shouyou? SHOUYOU?”

 

No response…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops another cliffhanger! #sorrynotsorry :)
> 
> So I've decided this story's gonna have more than the planned three chapters, so yay!!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read my story, especially those who left a comment and kudos! Chapter 3 will be up sometime within the next week!


	3. It's not easy to see a friend in pain.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa tries to help Hinata as much as he can, but will it be enough?

_This is no longer like last time._ Oikawa thought to himself. _This is much, much worse._ He could no longer focus, a panicked feeling taking over his body. Slowly, his hands started to shake and the tears started rolling down his cheeks. It doesn’t take a genius to see how much Hinata meant to Oikawa. Both the Karasuno and Aoba Johsai team members couldn’t believe they didn’t even know about the relationship between the two. But then again, no one ever asked.

 

“Oikawa.” _Iwa-chan._ Oikawa turned around to look at him before he felt a stinging sensation on his cheek.

 

“Iwa-chan, did you just slap me?!”

 

“Good, you stopped shaking.” Only now Oikawa realised Iwa-chan’s purpose of slapping him, and it worked. He should really thank him later. “Now that you’re back, concentrate on what you need to do. An ambulance has been called, they will be here in about 20 minutes. In the meantime, you are the only one here who knows what to do. We need you to stay focused and not lose yourself. Not now. We need you, and more importantly, HINATA needs you, or… he might not make it.”

 

Leave it to Iwaizumi to say it to him straight. He always knows exactly what to tell him, whether he wants to hear it or not. _But he’s right._ He looked up to see his friends around him, having gathered the supplies he asked for and ready to help in whatever way they can.

 

“Ok…” he mumbled, looking down at an unconscious Hinata. “Ok!” He says again, but this time more confidently than before. “Let’s do this.”

 

“Daichi? I see you brought heaps, that’s good. Firstly, take the jumpers and come over here.” Being a lot calmer now, Oikawa got to work. He carefully lifted up Hinata’s leg, guiding the prosthesis as to not put any more pressure on the already bad wound. Daichi slid the stack of jumpers under Hinata’s upper leg, while Oikawa slowly put it back down, leaving it elevated in an attempt to lessen the blood flow.

_Elevation is good, right?_ Oikawa thought. He was trying his hardest to remember exactly what they did last time. _At least Hinata won’t feel the pain, now that he’s unconsc-_

“Hinata!” It seems like Kageyama has finally snapped out of his trans, but the reason why didn’t make Oikawa happy. This would most likely be the only time that Oikawa wasn’t happy to see Hinata wake up. Did he jinx himself? The members of Karasuno seemed glad that their small crow was waking up, probably thinking his head injury wouldn’t be as bad.

 

“GUYS, NO!” Oikawa cried out. “This is not good, he should’ve stayed asleep! It was better… when he was asleep…” All Oikawa could think about was how he had to detach the prosthesis from Hinata’s body, and he knows how much that’s going to hurt Hinata. He hated being the one giving him that pain.

 

“What do you mean, HE SHOULD’VE STAYED UNCONSCIOUS?!” This was the first time Oikawa heard Karasuno’s coach Ukai say anything, which was surprising. Shouldn’t the coach be the first to help? Especially since he should’ve known about Hinata’s leg. After all, he has everyone’s medical records. “You know that sleeping after a head injury could possibly make it worse, right? You told him before to stay awake yourself, or do you want him in a coma or something?”

 

 _How dare he. How DARE HE SAY THAT TO ME._ Oikawa knew he should be respectful towards his elders and teacher, but right now he couldn’t care less.

 

“Do you have ANY IDEA how much pain Hinata was in during his last severe injury? Yes, it looked a bit different from this one, but the pain levels were the same, maybe even more this time. Do you realise that, right now I’m going to have to take of his prosthetic leg, pull it out of the wound, while he is awake, and can FEEL EVERYTHING?!”

 

No one even considered that, until they heard Hinata groan. It had to be done. They had to worsen his pain right now, so it wouldn’t be as bad later.

 

“Ok, here we go. Daichi, hand me one of the smallest towels you got, please.” Hinata looked so scared, which everyone understood, of course.

 

“Shouyou, this is going to hurt like hell. Maybe even worse than last time.” Oikawa saw his eyes widened. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said that, but Hinata needed to be prepared. “I’m going to remove your leg now. The wound is pretty deep, so I’ll try to be as gentle as I can. Suga will keep holding your hand.” Oikawa quickly looked up for confirmation. Suga knew what he meant, and nodded. “Squeeze it as hard as you need to. Suga doesn’t mind, truly.” Oikawa put the small towel in Hinata’s mouth to protect his teeth.

 

“Tobio-chan, I want you to help freckles here hold Hinata down, and Ukai, can you please hold his other leg?” They all got in position. Now he just needed someone to help him with the leg. Someone gentle, but strong. His first thought was Asahi, but he would most likely faint. He considered Daichi and Iwa-chan, but they’re a lot stronger then they realise. Oikawa never thought he’d choose this certain someone he decided was best, but, “Tsukishima, I need you to help me with his leg.” Tsukishima’s very realistic. He does what he’s asked, nothing more nothing less. He knows what he can and can’t do and he knows what’s necessary. In this moment, he’s the best option.

 

As everyone got into position, Oikawa carefully unlocked the side of the leg that’s still attached. Having done this multiple times before made this the easiest part of their mission. “Tsukishima, lift up his prosthesis so it’s completely straight, at the same angle as his leg.” Tsukishima did exactly that, the slight movements of the leg already hurting Hinata. He noticed how heavy this leg was, and Tsukishima was amazed at how high Hinata could jump even with this thing weighing him down, literally and figuratively.

 

“Hinata, I’m gonna count to three and then we’re gonna pull. It’s going to be ok. Everything will be alright.” As this point Hinata was crying, both scared and in pain. It was hard for everyone here, no one likes to see a team mate, a good friend or a partner in pain.

 

Then it happened. Oikawa pulled, slowly at first, while Tsukishima took most of the pressure off of Hinata’s leg by holding onto it as much as he could. Oikawa couldn’t look at his face, and several of the surrounding guys had to look away. The moment Oikawa removed the last bit of prosthetic Hinata screamed out in pain. A bloodcurdling scream that no one ever hoped to hear come out of their sunshine’s mouth.

 

Blood quickly flowed from the wound, the cut being opened up more by the removal of the prosthesis. Oikawa grabbed some of the cloths Daichi managed to find and began wiping most of the blood away, before asking Asahi for the crème, only to find that he’d passed out. Oikawa’s not even surprised, but, honestly, you’d expect a big guy like him to be a bit stronger.

 

“NOYA!” Asahi wasn’t the one needing help right now, Hinata was. “Leave your boyfriend alone for a sec and give me the crème he found. Noya quickly brought it over, wondering what it was for.

 

While Tsukishima held the cloths over the wound, Oikawa began to massage the crème into the surrounding area, hoping to relieve some of Hinata’s pain.

 

“Hinata uses this stuff to relieve some of the tension and pain on his stump after using it for longer periods of time. I know for a fact that he uses it after every time. He must’ve hid it so well…” Hinata was still crying, but at least he’s no longer screaming out in pain. Either because he got used to it or because he’s too far out of it too notice. No one is sure which one they’d prefer.

 

As soon as he finished with the crème, he wrapped some towels around the cloths on his stump. Hinata’s head was still bleeding, it’s pretty certain he has a concussion, but he would rather not touch that wound, afraid to make it worse. There’s nothing Oikawa can do for him now. All they can do from here on out is wait. Wait for the ambulance to come; Wait for Hinata to wake up; Wait for him to get better.

 

Wait… and pray that what Oikawa did was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was chapter 3! I really hope this chapter didn't drag on too much...
> 
> In the next chapter they'll finally get to the hospital, so stay tuned, it'll be up within the next week!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has read this story so far! I absolutely love all the comments it's getting! 
> 
> If anyone has any suggestions or ideas or anything, don't hold back and just let me know!


	4. Nobody Likes Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata has arrived at the hospital. Will he be ok? Or will everything be even worse than expected?

It’s been two and a half hours since the accident happened and time has never seemed to go so slow. The paramedics arrived at the gym not long after Oikawa finished tending to Hinata’s leg. He was unconscious by the time they arrived, and was quickly lifted onto a stretcher and rushed into the ambulance.

 

An ambulance at the prestigious, private Aoba Johsai High School doesn’t happen every day, and it certainly attracted a lot of attention not only from the students that watched the game, but also the others that were still at school. Way too many students were surrounding the gym, but Oikawa didn’t seem to notice any of them. He didn’t flash his bright and beautiful smile at any of the girls, he didn’t say hi to any of his mates and he was probably being disrespectful towards his elders too. He didn’t care. The only thing he could focus on as he ran after the stretcher was his best friend.

 

It was Oikawa and Kageyama that sat with Hinata on the way to the hospital. Under any other circumstance, the two of them together in a small space like the back of a van would end up with one of them dead, but in that moment, they seemed to have forgotten any hatred between them. The ride was very nerve wrecking and very scary and something neither of them ever want to experience again. The paramedics started to hook Hinata up to certain devices and machines, and the beeping of Hinata’s heartbeat was the only thing giving them hope.

 

They were currently sitting in the waiting room. All of the Karasuno team, including the coaches and managers, and of course Oikawa and his friends Iwaizumi, Hanamaki and Matsukawa were waiting for any news on Hinata. Everyone was on edge, being so worried about their friend, and having a million questions about Hinata, Hinata’s leg and of course Oikawa.

 

“Oikawa-senpai?” No one had expected Kageyama to be the first one to talk to him, given their history and all. Everyone knew about what happened between Kageyama and Oikawa, and the two teams themselves were archrivals too. “Were you already friends with Hinata when we played on the same team?”

 

Oikawa sighed. He was expecting this, to be honest. Kageyama and Hinata were pretty close after all. “Yes, we were. We met when I was in my second year of Junior high school, one year before you came. Hinata was in his last year of elementary school at the time.” In all these years of knowing Kageyama, three years to be exact, he had never seen him look so miserable. Not when Oikawa refused to teach him to serve, not when he lost any of his games, and not even when his team abandoned him in his last game with Kitagawa Daiichi.

 

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me…” Kageyama whispered, loud enough only for the few surrounding him to hear.

 

“I can’t believe it…” His facial expression getting angrier by the second.

 

“Kageyama,” Suga tried to calm him down by putting his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder, only for it to be slapped away.

 

“I told him EVERYTHING! Everything I worried about, everything I cared about, if I was scared of anything or just wanted to have some fun, he was the one I talked to. And how does he repay me? LIES! EVERYTHING HAS BEEN ONE BIG LIE!” Were there tears in his eyes?

 

“Kageyama, please calm down.” Daichi decided to step him, hoping to regain control over his team member.

 

“NO, don’t “Kageyama” me. I have every right to be angry! Hinata was my first ever friend, and I thought we were best friends, heck maybe even more someday soon.” Everyone in Karasuno knew that Kageyama had feelings for Hinata, he’s not very good at hiding his emotions, but for Oikawa this was news.

 

“Turns out,” Kageyama continues, “none of this was true. _I_ was never his best friend, it was Oikawa-senpai all along. Hinata KNEW how much I disliked him, and yet he didn’t say anything. And to top everything off, he forgot to tell me HALF HIS LEG IS MISSING!?”

 

“Tobio-chan, please let me explain.” Oikawa pleaded. If only they knew how hard this has been for Hinata. “I’m not gonna lie to you guys, but I won’t tell you everything either, that’s Hinata’s story to tell.” The team nodded, obviously understanding where he was coming from. “However,” Oikawa directed his attention to Kageyama in particular. “I believe you guys deserve a bit of an explanation, before we all go crazy.”

 

Kageyama seemed to have calmed down a little, a few stray tears leaking from his eyes every now and then. Even the coach and teachers looked very interested too, being as they were just as surprised as the rest of them.

 

“As I said, we met when I was 14, Hinata was 12 at the time. I saw his accident happen and stayed with him afterwards. We became friends, I helped him get through his rehabilitation and helped him learn to live with his prosthesis and practise volleyball with him. Even though we live pretty far away from each other, our mums were friends too, and so we visited each other pretty much every weekend. That’s when we became best friends.” Oikawa decided to ignore any detail relating to Hinata’s accident and the pain he felt. That was not his place to tell. “It’s true that we haven’t seen each other as often as we liked this year, me being in my third year and Hinata starting high school too, but yes, I still consider him my best friend.” Everyone glanced at Iwaizumi, but he knew about Hinata, of course, as he spent more time with Oikawa than anyone else, excluding Hinata perhaps.

 

“As to why he didn’t tell any of you… He was scared he was going to be kicked off the team. It has happened before, you know. Classmates bullying him because one of his limbs was missing… because he was a monster with a mechanical leg… because he wasn’t “normal”. He’d call me up crying; Another party he wasn’t invited to; Another school camp he couldn’t attend because it “wasn’t suitable for people with disabilities”. All Hinata wanted was to belong, to be part of a team, and to be normal. So please, PLEASE, don’t be mad at him.”

 

This was a side of Oikawa none of them knew existed. Everyone could see that he cared so much about his best friend, and would, without a doubt, destroy anyone who tried to hurt him. So many thoughts were running through everyone’s head, but there was one question that dominated all of it: How is Hinata still smiling so brightly every day? They couldn’t help but blame themselves for not noticing.

 

“I understand but… I can’t right now.” Kageyama walked away, and nobody tried to stop him. He really needed to sort out his thoughts, and everybody wanted to avoid any arguments in this situation at all cost.

 

Not long after Kageyama returned, followed by one of Hinata’s doctors. Everyone was craving some news, good or bad, and were alert in a second.

 

“Is Mrs Hinata present?” A beautiful woman with hair as bright as Hinata’s stood up. Everyone had seen her sit there, so in thought and sad that the only one that had talked to her so far was Takeda-sensei.

 

“Is Hinata ok? Is he awake? Can we see him?” Her eyes were bloodshot, to be expected in a situation like this.

 

“The cut in Hinata’s leg was fairly deep, but we managed to stitch it up properly during his surgery. He won’t be able to use his prosthetic leg for at least a month, depending on how fast he heals. We don’t want to put any pressure on it that could make it worse.” Everyone’s faces dropped. Hinata not being able to use his leg means Hinata not being able to play volleyball… for at least a month.

 

“This news is gonna kill him.” Oikawa cried out. “Hinata not playing volleyball for a month? That hasn’t happened since the first time I practised with him.”

 

“Tooru, honey, I know. But please, let the doctor finish.” Hinata’s mother grabbed his hand, knowing how close the two boys were.

 

“His leg, however, is not what we’re worried about. Head injuries are always unpredictable and we won’t know how badly this affects him until he wakes up. We performed several x-rays and brain scans, and his skull isn’t fractured and there’s no internal bleeding, which is very promising, but he does have a severe concussion.” Some mumbles could be heard from all of the people present, relieved that it’s not as bad as expected, but still worried about their small sunshine.

 

“Can we see him? Is he awake?” Noya asked, and no one has ever heard his voice so small and uncertain. He couldn’t help but blame himself, just like everyone else. How could he let this happen to his precious kohai?

 

“We’re keeping him asleep till tomorrow morning. He needs as much rest as he can get so soon after the incident. You can all come tomorrow morning, but for now I suggest only two people go in.”

 

Everyone agreed that, as much as they all wanted to see him, his mother and Oikawa should be the ones going in. Hinata’s mother was a given, and Oikawa deserved that much after all he’d done to help him, as well as being his best friend.

 

\----

 

It was the next day that everyone returned to the hospital, ignoring any responsibilities and commitments they must have had. Hinata’s mother requested a private room for Hinata, not wanting to disturb other patients with the entire Karasuno volleyball team. It was around 9:30 am when they all arrived. The Aoba Johsai members, excluding Oikawa, didn’t come today, feeling slightly out of place between all the people so close to Hinata.

 

Hinata’s mother and Oikawa decided to wait outside of Hinata’s room, giving the boys their time with their team member.

 

They all piled into Hinata’s room, which, thankfully, was big enough for everyone to fit. Gasped could be heard all around when they caught sight of the small boy lying on the bed, hooked up to machines left and right, his head wrapped up in bandages and his leg lifted slightly. Never before had they seen Hinata sit still for more than four minutes, and his voice could always be heard. Seeing their friend like this was shock to everyone, and something they’d never expected to see. They stood around his bed, Kageyama sitting on the chair next to it and Narita and Kinoshita sitting in the corner next to Ennoshita. Nishinoya, being as small as he is, could easily fit on the edge of his bed without being in the way, especially seeing as Hinata’s leg wasn’t taking up as much space as it should. No one knew what to do exactly, and the tension was very high. Some, like Yamaguchi, Yachi and surprisingly even Kageyama, could be heard sniffling softly. Others decided to talk to Hinata, just small talk, to let him know they were here, whether he could hear it or not.

 

Time passed slowly, and after what felt like hours, but was only around 40 minutes in real time, Nishinoya noticed Hinata twitch. He sat up quickly, catching the attention of the other boys, and shushing them. It happened again. Hinata’s eyelids twitching, more noticeable now. Hinata was waking up! The boys waited, not even thinking about calling Hinata’s mother and Oikawa, as they were too focussed on Hinata.

 

Then it happened… Hinata finally opened his eyes. Although watery and not nearly as bright as they once were, they had never been happier to see his beautiful eyes.

 

“Hinata!” Noya jumped off the bed and grabbed his hand, while Kageyama stood up to feel his forehead, needing to touch him to make sure this is real.

 

Daichi, being the team dad that he is, looked slightly concerned about the boys crowding Hinata so soon after he woke up, but even he couldn’t help but smile. Their friend is back!

 

But something’s not right…

 

Why doesn’t Hinata look happy to see them? Is it because he’s in so much pain? _But he doesn’t look like he’s in pain._ Daichi thought. _He looks… scared?_

“Hinata?” Daichi asked carefully. “Hinata are you ok?” Suga noticed it too and, when Hinata didn’t answer, repeated Daichi’s question.

 

Hinata looked at each of the boys, the coach and the managers one by one, eyes wide and his scared facial expression never changing before he finally spoke…

 

_“Who are you guys?”_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't seem to stop ending chapters in cliffhangers :)
> 
> I really hope this story isn't going too slow... please let me know if you think it is!
> 
> Also QUESTION: Would you guys like me to start writing from character's point of views (so first person) as well or just keep it the way it is now? 
> 
> Thank you for all your awesome comments and leaving kudos! It really means a lot I'm happy you guys enjoy my fan fiction! :)


	5. It's The Things You Least Expect That Hit You The Hardest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama breaks down a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit shorter than the last one, but hopefully you'll enjoy it just as much!

_Who are these boys?_ Hinata thought. _Where even am I? Why do they know my name?_

“H-Hinata?” Kageyama didn’t even know what to say. He can’t be serious, can he?

 

“What do you mean, Hinata?” Everyone just stood there, not knowing what to do. Being the team mom, Suga decided to take the lead, and carefully approached Hinata, who looked the most confused out of all of them.

 

“I-I mean, who are you? Why am I here? Why are YOU all here?” Hinata’s eyes looked around, frantically looking for answers, clues, anything that could help him understand this situation.

 

“This isn’t funny, bro! I know you like joking around, but we were worried sick about you! First you fall in the middle of the game, then we find out your LEG is MISSING and then you pass out with a bleeding head and the-” Noya was back on the bed, regaining some of his usual energy as he started talking to one of his best mates, until Hinata cut him off.

 

“Game?” That shut Noya up pretty quickly. Is he- Is he actually serious?

 

_I don’t play in games?_ Hinata became more confused by the second. _I don’t even have a team. I practise with Tooru in my backyard, and I’ll play officially once I get to high school._ Then Hinata realised something. Where is his best friend? _Tooru should be here. Tooru is ALWAYS here when something happens. Why isn’t he here?_

Hinata was starting to panic, and the team noticed too, becoming even more nervous than they already were. He only just woke up, he can’t get too stressed out right now. They just wanted to be here for him and support him!

 

“Hinata.” Suga put his hand on his arm, but Hinata quickly pulled away. “Please calm down, Hinata.”

 

“Tooru…” Hinata whispered, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. “Tooru.” Louder this time, and the team looked at each other. He could remember Oikawa, but not them? And… he calls out to him and not his mother?

 

“TOORU! TOORU!” All the boys jumped backwards, shocked by Hinata’s sudden outburst. “TOORU, WHERE ARE YOU?” Waiting just outside, Oikawa heard Hinata yell out his name and stormed into the room, with Hinata’s mother right behind him.

 

“Shouyou! Shouyou, calm down! It’s ok, I’m here.” Oikawa grabbed his hands. “Breathe, Shouyou. Breathe.” They’ve done this thousands of times before, Hinata gets a panic attack and Oikawa helps him through it. The boys, minus Ennoshita, who ran out to get a nurse, stood lined up against the wall, once again amazed at how well Oikawa knows how to help Hinata.

 

“T-Tooru,” Hinata was still hyperventilating to some extent, but was starting to calm down. “What happened?”

 

“Your leg “dislocated” and you had a horrible accident, even worse than the one before. I helped fix you up as much as possible until the ambulance came and took you to the hospital. Now you’re here.” Oikawa noticed Hinata’s puzzled facial expression.

 

“When?”

 

“Yesterday, Shouyou. At the game, remember? You’re very first game, against my team!” _Tooru would never lie to me. Did I really play in a volleyball game?_

“Are these guys… my team mates?” Now Oikawa was the one left confused, not yet aware of Hinata’s memory loss. Daichi quickly explained to him what had happened before and why he was screaming for Oikawa. Ennoshita came back with two nurses to check up on Hinata.

 

“Hinata, dear, how are you feeling?” Still holding onto Oikawa’s hand, Hinata squeezed it slightly and received a reassuring look in return.

 

“I… I can’t remember… I don’t know any of these boys.” Hinata was on the verge of tears, aware that he was hurting their feelings, but not knowing what else to do. “Oikawa, can you please… ask them to leave?” Oikawa did so and they understood. Never before had the team left a room so quietly as right now. Leaving Hinata behind with the nurse and his mother and Oikawa for support, presumably to ask some more questions and hopefully tests to see what’s wrong.

 

The tension in the waiting room was once again very high, and they couldn’t wrap their head around what’s happening. Not even an hour ago they were sitting here desperately waiting for any news on their team mate, and now they’re sitting here, _with_ news, expect said teammate can’t remember them.

 

“FUCK” Everyone was waiting for it, the moment Kageyama would explode. It wasn’t a secret that Kageyama liked Hinata. He’d never said it out loud, but he not very good at hiding it either.

 

“FREAKING DUMBASS! I mean I knew his brain is full of sand, but you’d think he’d at least be smart enough to REMEMBER HIS OWN TEAM!” He was now pacing around the waiting room, worrying the rest of the boys.

 

“Kageyama…” Daichi tried, before Noya took over from him.

 

“We’re just as upset as you are right now, Kageyama. He’s one of our best friends too an-“ Kageyama’s head spun around so quickly, it’s surprising it didn’t actually snap off.

 

“NO! See, that’s where you’re wrong! We all THOUGHT he was our best friend, but he’s not. He’s a liar and a cheater, and his best friend is freaking Oikawa-senpai.” Kageyama doesn’t cry often. Crying makes you weak, and he cannot be weak. He needs to be strong. Only the strong can win. But, right now, he honestly couldn’t care less.

 

“Oikawa was the worst senpai…” He had calmed down a bit, ready to open up to the team. “He never taught me anything, I couldn’t ask him any questions. I mean I had the others like Iwaizumi-senpai, and they were awesome, but I’d always looked up to him, you know?” Kageyama paused for a second, burying his head in his hands to hide his tear-stained face. “One night, when I thought I’d ask him to teach me his serve once more, he almost hit me. He completely lost control, and if it wasn’t for Iwaizumi-senpai I’d probably have a broken nose.” The team was quiet, they knew Oikawa could be intimidating, and he really was a very good player, but they didn’t think he’d actually get aggressive like this. Hopefully it was just a one-time thing.

 

“And then now I find out that, while he refused to teach me anything, he was always training with a boy with one leg. What did he see in a disabled boy that he didn’t see in me? I trained so hard, every single day. I took such good care of my body to keep it healthy, I ate proper meals, got enough sleep and stayed hydrated, etc all in the hope that maybe one day he’d see my potential. But no… he would always pick the boy with one leg over me anyway.”

 

“Kageyama, you can’t blame Hinata for this. It wasn’t his choice to lose his leg, and they went through a lot together, you have to understand that.” Daichi tried to reason with him, at which Kageyama just shook his head and continued on with his story.

 

“BUT HINATA PROMISED ME!” Kageyama suddenly burst out, surprising everyone in the room. “That Oikawa-senpai lied to me I can handle, but not Hinata! I-I’ve always told him everything about me, and I thought he did the same in return. WAS I NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO HIM? He said he would _always_ be there for me, not only to spike my tosses, but everything else too. We were a team. After what happened at Kitagawa Daiichi, I clung to those words like they were the only thing keeping me in the game. I put SO MUCH trust into him, AND HE NEVER THOUGHT TO TELL ME ABOUT HIS LEG? ABOUT OIKAWA-SENPAI? H-How could he just let me talk shit about Oikawa-senpai, when they’re b-best friend? H-Hinata betrayed m-me and I ca-“ Kageyama stopped talking when he felt Nishinoya’s small arms around his shoulder.

 

“Hey now, don’t be so pessimistic! I’m sure Hinata has his reasons for not telling us! And I’m sure that, once he remembers who we are, _which he will,_ ” Nishinoya emphasised, “he will tell us everything. In the meantime, we have to keep practising, ok? No slacking off, Hinata wouldn’t want that. We will do everything we can to help him regain his memory. Can’t have him forget his favourite senpai now, can we?” He proudly stated, pointing at himself, at which Tanaka obviously protested.

 

“Ok.” Kageyama didn’t sound convinced, but after seeing the determined look on everyone’s faces, he couldn’t argue with them. “OK!” He said again, this time much more certain.

 

That’s Noya for you, always having our back and getting us back in action, when we can no longer see the possibilities right in front of us.

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh Kageyama really does have feelings!
> 
> Next chapter we'll know more about Hinata's memory loss, and who knows, maybe he might even be able to go home?


	6. School has never been so scary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Hinata to go back to school, but his return doesn't go as planned.

It’s been a week since Hinata has returned home, and so far, it hasn’t been a happy week. The doctors had told him that it is possible for his memory to return. There could be certain faces, events, words, emotions or places that could trigger something he had forgotten.

 

_It hasn’t happened yet._

 

And that’s not surprising, seeing as it’s only been a week, but Hinata’s not known to be very patient. Oikawa has been at his house almost every day. Coming straight to Hinata’s after school, doing his homework at Hinata’s desk just so he could be there for his best friend. Hinata appreciates everything, but he wished it wasn’t necessary.

 

_“Tooru?” Hinata’s quiet voice asked him. He was lying on his bed, head propped up slightly on a pillow, while Oikawa studied for his test at his desk. Oikawa looked up at him questioningly._

_“Do you really want to be here?” Hinata pulled his one complete leg up to his chest as he fiddled with the doona. Oikawa looked at him unbelievingly. Did he really just ask that?_

_“Shouyou? Of course, I do, what are you talking about?” He rolled the desk chair across the floor until he was sitting right next to Hinata’s bed._

_“I mean, it’s been four days now, and you’ve come here every single one of them. Why? I’m sure you can focus much better in your own bedroom. Commuting here every day after school and practise takes up so much time. We haven’t even really talked in a while, so… why are you doing this for me?”_

_Hinata’s eyes were watering and it broke Oikawa’s heart. Ever since the accident Hinata had doubted his self-worth. He lost all his confidence, but he slowly built it back up by playing volleyball until he was back to his old self. Now he’s back to feeling like he’s a burden to everyone, like he’s not worth anyone’s time with his one leg, and Oikawa couldn’t take it._

_“Shouyou, I helped you last week in the gym not only because I had to, or because I was the only one who knew how to do it, but also because I wanted to. Even though we haven’t talked that much, you are my BEST FRIEND. Right now, I’m the only friend you remember. I’m so so glad that you do, but I wished that you could remember everyone else too.”_

_Hinata nodded. He believed Oikawa, of course he did, but he still felt bad._

_“I’m here to help you, and I don’t mind it one bit. Iwa-chan understands too. We will get your memory back; your leg will heal eventually and you’ll be able to walk with your prosthesis again. Trust me.”_

And Hinata did. He trusted Oikawa more than anyone, and so he kept visiting every day, studying in his room, talking to him, watching movies or playing games. Sometimes he’d help out Hinata’s mother with dinner, or the laundry. It was much like old times.

 

The volleyball team came by some days. Not in such a big group anymore, like in the hospital. They didn’t want to scare Hinata again. They’d come in groups of two or three after practise. They’d tell him about what happened that day, or something weeks ago, something involving Hinata. They’d been trying to trigger his memories. Nishinoya even smuggled a volleyball out of the gym to show Hinata, let him hold it and remember the feel of the Karasuno volleyballs… but nothing, and it frustrated everyone, especially Hinata.

 

It wasn’t easy for him to sit there with boys who knew him inside and out, but were strangers to him. Most of the time he’d just sit there, the occasional “oh” and “that’s cool” when they got excited about the sport they both loved. The only thing Hinata knew they had in common.

 

But now it was Monday morning, two weeks after he’d been released from the hospital and the doctor had cleared him to go back to school, albeit in a wheelchair. He was sure everyone already knew by now, and if they didn’t, they’d know soon enough. For so long he’d tried to hide his disability, but now it’s just gonna be out in the open.

 

He begged the doctor to at least let him use crutches, so he could at least “walk” around, but he refused. _“The blood would flow to your wound all they. We stitched it up, but due to the depth and severity of the cut, the pressure of too much blood in the area could seriously damage it. You need to keep your leg up. I’m sorry, Hinata, this is not up for discussion.”_ The doctor said to him.

 

Hinata loathed the wheelchair. Sitting down like that, he was even smaller than normally and everyone would be hovering above him. He can’t get up, run around, or even just comfortably talk to others without them having to bend down.  

 

Startled by the ringing of his phone, Hinata reached into his bag to retrieve it.

 

_“Hey Shouyou! How are you feeling?”_ Oikawa sounded concerned, but excited for Hinata at the same time.

 

“I’m a bit nervous, but I’m okay. The worst part is this damned wheelchair.” Because it would only be temporary, it wasn’t a very expensive or fancy wheelchair, and Hinata had to use a pillow for it to be comfortable enough to last the whole day.

 

_“You’ll be fine, Shouyou. People will be considerate, I’m sure. Don’t worry too much about it!”_

 

_Thanks Oikawa, I’m cured now. All my worries just magically went away._ Hinata thought sarcastically.

 

_“I mean it, Shouyou.”_ Oikawa reassured him, after Hinata didn’t reply. _“It’s only a couple of hours, really. I’ll be coming over again tonight, so you’ve got that to look forward to!”_

 

After a bit more small talk Hinata had to leave for school. He couldn’t ride his bike, obviously, so his mother had to drop him off. Hinata wished Oikawa could just come with him, but he knew that was impossible.

 

_it’s just school_ , Hinata tried to calm himself, _you’ve been doing this your whole life._

After they arrived at school and his mother had taken him to the general office to take care of some paperwork, she left with the promise to pick him up again at the end of the day.

 

Hinata rolled his wheelchair outside, ready to go to his first class when he realised…

 

_I don’t remember this school._

_I don’t know where my classes are._

_I don’t remember my teachers_

_or my classmates_

_or anything I’ve learned this year._

He had no idea where he was or what to do, and that scared him. He decided to turn left, just because that’s where most buildings are, hoping that maybe he’d recognize someone or something. Unfortunately, he had no such luck.

 

Then he got to his next problem… stairs. Every school has to have an elevator or a ramp somewhere, right? _Why can’t I find it?!_ Hinata was starting to feel slightly panicked. He was late, classes have started, there are no students around to help him, and no Oikawa to calm him down. He started to move faster and faster, too short to be able to look into classrooms through the window.

 

_Think, Hinata. Think. What are significant places I must’ve been to?_

_The gym._

Seeing no other options, he made his way over to the big, grey building, which he assumed to be the gym… only to find more stairs. He knows gyms, not this one specifically, but the gym he practised in with Oikawa and the one at his previous. It’s where he feels safe. Even after the accident that caused all this, he can never hate a volleyball court.

 

But right now, he can’t even get into one. Three steps, that’s all. Three small steps to his favourite place on earth and he can’t even do it.

 

_WAIT._ Hinata thought. _I still have one good leg._ He got up out of his chair, balancing on one leg as he gripped the wall and skipped up the steps. Still not used to standing up without his prosthesis, he lost his balance when his hand slipped of the door frame. Not being able to catch himself, he fell forward, hurting his wrist in his clumsy landing.

 

It wasn’t even the pain, but just _not being able to do anything_ that frustrated him so much that he let out a scream.

 

Suga and Daichi were in the storage room of the gym, having less classes as third years and currently getting ready to practise during their free period. They obviously hadn’t noticed, or expected, Hinata trying to get into the gym, and the sudden scream startled them. Making their way out of the small room, they saw a crying Hinata on the floor in the door opening.

 

“HINATA!” They both yelled, as they ran over to the small boy. Just like Suga and Daichi, Hinata wasn’t aware of anyone else being in the gym either, and the two boys running towards him at full speed frighten him a little bit. Sure, he recognised them by now, but they were still strangers. Strangers that knew everything about him. He couldn’t help but feel a bit creeped out still.

 

“I’m fine!” He said, reaching for his wheelchair in an attempt to pull it up the stairs. Daichi saw him struggling and gave him a hand, pulling the wheelchair into the gym and placing it behind Hinata.

 

“I said I can do it myself.” Hinata hissed at him, sick and tired of having everyone do everything for him. He wasn’t sure what made him so angry right now. The feeling wasn’t necessarily towards his two senpais, they’re just the only ones here right now.

 

“Hinata,” Suga’s soothing voice only pissed him off more for some reason, how many more times will he have to tell people that he can handle himself?! “We just want to help you.”

 

“NO.”

 

“We care about you, you know that, right?”

 

“I don’t. know. you.” Hinata could see in Suga’s eyes that his words hurt, but he was too caught up in his own emotions that he didn’t feel anything for the boy.

 

“Please, Hinata.” Suga pleaded, reaching out to lift him up and into his wheelchair.

 

“Don’t touch me!” Hinata went back to crying. He didn’t mean to cry, but over the past two weeks it seems like the tears just won’t stop coming.

 

“We’re not gonna hurt you. You can trust us.” Daichi reached out a single hand, but Hinata just slapped it away, facing his back towards the two.

 

“Well… I don’t. So please, get away from me… leave me alone.”

 

Hinata was pushing his friends away without even realising it. They kept trying to reach out to him, help him in any way they can, but he shut them out every time. Everyone understood how hard this situation was for Hinata, but he needed to get himself under control soon, before it gets too late.

 

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly less angsty chapter to give you guys a break before we get to the next section of this fan fic :)
> 
> Kind of a filler chapter in a way - needed to get this stuff out of the way so we can get back to the good stuff yay
> 
> Woah I know this update was very late but school sucks and takes up too much time lmao sorry
> 
> Next update will probably be sooner... 
> 
> I didn't plan anything for this fan fic... It was supposed to be a one shot but somehow this happened
> 
> Anyway hope you enjoyed it!! Remember to leave some kudos maybe? I love reading you guys' comments, so feel free to let me know what you think of this, or if you have any suggestions for future events they are always welcome!!


	7. New School, New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata transfers to a different school,   
> and he finally gets some happiness back in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had mid-year exams and everything's been so busy so I'm aware that this is kinda late hehe oops :')  
> Here's some happiness (for most characters...), hopefully that makes up for it!

“Hey Shou, come here for a second.” Hinata’s mother called out to him. It has been almost two weeks and the doctor has finally allowed Hinata to use crutches instead of his wheelchair, so he carefully made his way across the living room, making sure not to knock anything over. Sitting next to Oikawa on the couch, he nervously looked over to his mother.

 

“Oikawa and I have been talking, and we think it might be a good idea if you go to school with Oikawa for a while, to Aoba Johsai.” Oikawa smiled at him, instantly making him feel more at ease.

 

“But… why?” Hinata asked. He really liked the idea of going to school with Oikawa, but Aoba Johsai is quite far away and what about Karasuno?

 

“You’ve been going back to school for a week and a half now and every single day I come home and have to help you through a panic attack, and you still don’t remember any of the people there. I thought finally getting the crutches might help, might make you feel less vulnerable and more comfortable, but it hasn’t so far. Your mum and I are worried, Shouyou.”

 

Hinata was deep in thought. _Tooru is right._ He looked between his mother and Oikawa, the latter looking at him with hopeful eyes. _I do feel uncomfortable at school._ “I- I guess it’s worth a shot?” He asked, uncertainly, because he honestly didn’t know what was best for him anymore.

 

“Yes! Shouyou, it’s gonna be great! You can stay at our place, we can make our way to school together, you can even come and watch our practises!” Oikawa said excitedly, already imagining everything in his head. “It’ll be like the sleepovers we always used to have, except longer!”

 

Hinata’s mother happily looked at the two boys and let their imagination run wild for a few minutes before getting into the technical stuff. “So, that means tomorrow will be your last day at Karasuno for a while. I was thinking you could tell the team at afternoon practise? They deserve to be told face to face, don’t you think?” To which Hinata nodded in agreement, already getting nervous.

 

* * *

 

Hinata couldn’t remember a school day ever going so slow. Although he didn’t really consider himself part of the team, he still dreaded telling them he was going to leave. When the final bell rang, he felt sick and nauseous, making his way to the men’s bathrooms as fast as he could on his crutches.

 

“Aahh Hinata, hello!” Hinata froze on his way out of the stall, when he heard Tanaka walk into the bathroom. “You throwing up again? Don’t worry, we don’t have a match today!” Tanaka laughed, leaving Hinata looking confused. “Oh yeah… sorry I- I keep forgetting that you don’t-“

 

“It’s alright.” Hinata said, used to this feeling by now. “Did I, like, throw up a lot?”

 

“Oh yeah! Every time we faced a new opponent that seemed very dangerous, you could be found in the bathroom!” Tanaka explained, returning to his enthusiastic self. “This one time, we were on the bus and you threw up right on my trackies!” He laughed, and Hinata looked embarrassed. “Oh no! Don’t worry about it! It was actually pretty funny.”

 

“I- umm, I actually need to talk to everyone now, before practise?” Hinata said nervously, making Tanaka worry.

 

“Is everything alright?” Tanaka asked, the senpai in him coming out.

 

Hinata couldn’t look Tanaka in the eye. “Yeah, I mean, kinda. I just need to talk to everyone.”

 

“Alright.” He said softly. “Let me do my thing in here and then we’ll walk to the gym together!”

 

Fifteen minutes later and everyone was gathered in the gym, sitting around Hinata and coach Ukai, who stood at the front with the nervous boy. Ukai had already been made aware of Hinata’s temporary departure, and looked slightly sad, making the team wonder what could be wrong.

 

“Hey everyone,” Hinata wasn’t sure how to start exactly. “So umm, I have some news. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, I mean I guess it’s kinda bad? But you might find it good because I’m not really doing anything anyway but I don’t know maybe you don’t even care or-”

 

“Hinata!” Coach cut him off mid-sentence. “You’re rambling again. Get to the point.”

 

“O-Ok.” He paused for a second, trying to find the right words. “So… I’m leaving Karasuno?” He said questioningly. “I’m going to Aoba Johsai for a while, with Oikawa.  It is only temporary for now…”

 

The team looked at him with mixed expressions, some shocked, some understanding and some hurt. No one said anything, so Hinata continued.

 

“I just don’t feel comfortable here.” He explained. “I know you’re all trying, but it’s scary being around people who know everything about you, even though they seem strangers.”

 

“But when we all first met it was so easy to become friends.” Noya said sadly, being one of Hinata’s previous best friends on the team. “Why can’t that happen again? We can all forget about everything, and start again?”

 

“Noya-senpai, I- I don’t know what to say. You’re all a great bunch of guys, honestly. I like all of you, but I’m always a bit paranoid here. And every time any of you mention something that I don’t remember I can see the sadness in your eyes. I can see the pain. I know you’re trying, but I can feel that you all lowkey dislike me for forgetting you all, either consciously or subconsciously.”

 

“As long as I’m here, you’re invincible.” Kageyama stood up, and everyone was shocked to see the tears in his eyes. “Doesn’t that trigger any memories? Not even a slight spark of something that happened once?”

 

Hinata looked up, straight into Kageyama’s watery eyes. He may not know who Kageyama was exactly, but from what he’d seen the past few weeks, he knew he wasn’t one to cry.

 

“As long as I’m here, you’re i-invincible?” He tried again, more uncertainly this time, his voice breaking midsentence. “I said this to you w-when we first started playing together. When we finally found our best attack. When we f-first became _friends_. After my old team abandoned m-me, you promised me, _P-PROMISED_ , that you’d always be here to spike my tosses.”

 

Hinata looked at him with regret in his eyes. “I-I’m sorry, Kageyama.”

 

“D-dumbass!” Kageyama stuttered, before running out of the gym, crying. His best friend, his first ever crush, _literally_ forgot him, and it hurts like hell.

 

“He will be fine, Hinata… Eventually.” Suga smiled. “We’re sad to see you go, but it’s temporary, right? You’re welcome back anytime. Remember that.” Hinata smiled gratefully, and said his goodbyes to everyone for now. He really did like these guys, and he really was sad to go, but this is what’s best for now.

 

* * *

 

“Oi, Shittykawa!” Iwaizumi called out to him. “What’s your chibi-chan doing making his way over to the gym?”

 

“I told you! He goes here now, I told him he could come to practise with us, and you were there when I explained the situation to coach!” He said defensively. “Do you ever even listen when I talk to you?!”

 

“Not really.”

 

“Mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whined after his friend’s blunt reply.

 

“Tooruuuu!” He suddenly heard Hinata’s loud voice called to him from across the school grounds. “This school’s awesome!” He yelled, as he quickly hobbled his way over to the two third years. By the time he got to them he was slightly out of breath.

 

“Shouyou, be careful!” Oikawa bent down slightly, letting the smaller boy lean on him for support.

 

“Everyone is so nice here! Even the teachers, I _actually_ enjoyed my classes today! Especially my English and Maths classes at Karasuno really sucked. The two teachers I had for them were actually husband and wife, and oh my god they were so similar. If you did so much as _breathe_ too loud they’d send you outside. They were pretty perfect for each other actually, now I think abo-“ Hinata rambled on and on, having way too much energy from his great first day at this school.

 

“Shouyou!” Oikawa laughed, cutting him off mid-sentence. “That’s great and all, but tell me tonight, okay? We’re at the gym now. Are you sure you’re ready?” Iwaizumi had already gone inside, leaving Oikawa and a confused looking Hinata at the doorstep.

 

“Why wouldn’t I be ready? I get to play volleyball again with you! Even though I’m not actually playing… I really love just watching you too!” He smiled, eyes shining brightly.

 

“I know, but… this is where the incident happened that left you in this position.” Oikawa said quietly. “In this gym. I realised that today and I got worried that maybe you’d be too scared to go in?”

 

“Oh... I didn’t- I didn’t realise it happened at Aoba Johsai…” Hinata said sadly. “But that was last time!” Being the optimist that he is, he could see the best in the situation, and Oikawa was so grateful for that. “I won’t be spiking today anyway! I’ll be fine just sitting there!”

 

“Just sitting there?” Oikawa smirked, he hadn’t told Hinata yet that he’d actually be participating in practice. “You really think we’re just gonna have your lazy bum sit in here while we do all the hard work?”

 

“Tooru, you do realise I’m missing half my leg, right?” Hinata looked up at Oikawa cynically. “How the hell am I gonna play?”

 

“You’ll see! It should be all set up by now, let’s go!”

 

They entered the gym and Hinata’s eyes widened in amazement. “It’s so big! There’s so many courts! And this smell… air salonpas!” If it wasn’t for the crutches, Hinata would be running around the gym, taking in every single square centimetre and making sure he’d never forget it. This was his  first time in a gym bigger than Karasuno’s, that he can remember at least. It made Oikawa smile.

 

When he finally got over the impressive height of the ceiling he noticed a strange volleyball setup on the far left court. The net was set up like any other, but just behind it stood a large table with a high referee’s chair attached on top of his.

 

“Tooru? What is that?” He’d never seen anything like it before. Who could possibly play volleyball with a _table_ in the middle of the court?!

 

“The left court is where we always practise receives, and that, my friend, is where you’ll be playing.” Oikawa said smugly, pretty proud of himself for arranging this for Hinata.

 

“You mean… I get to sit on top? And spike the ball for all of you to receive?” Oikawa nodded, and Hinata  got more excited by the second, and his voice got higher and higher. He never had this opportunity Karasuno! “THANK YOU, TOORU! You’re amazing! I love this team!” He said happily, and the whole Aoba Johsai team couldn’t help but smile at the small boy standing in their gym.

 

“I am pretty awesome.” Oikawa exclaimed, way too proud of what he’d done, which he was very soon made aware off when he felt a volleyball hit the back of his head.

 

“You damn narcissist!”

 

“Iwa-chan, so mean!”

 

Hinata hadn’t had this much fun in weeks. He sat there spiking balls for the entire duration of practice. He didn’t realise how much he missed and craved the tingling feeling left in his hand after he smashed the ball on the court, and he wouldn’t stop talking about it the entire way to Oikawa’s home.

 

He did have to admit that his arms were crazy tired after not having used them for so long. So instead of using his crutches, Oikawa decided to give Hinata a piggyback ride home.

 

* * *

 

“Ohmygodddd” Oikawa whined when he heard Hinata’s phone ring. They’d just had tea with Oikawa’s family and were getting ready to watch one of Oikawa’s favourite movies. “Please, just ignore it! We can’t leave these aliens waiting, I wanna start the movie!”

 

“You absolute dork.” Hinata laughed. “Who would’ve thought that smart, intelligent, beautiful, handsome Oikawa would be so obsessed with aliens?” Hinata looked him up and down, very obviously judging him for the alien pocket t-shirt and galaxy print blanket he was currently sitting under.

 

“Shouyou~” Oikawa pouted.

 

“Just kidding, I love it. Now shut up, I gotta take this, it’s my doctor.” Hinata explained, making his way over to kitchen with Oikawa following behind him, blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a superhero’s cape.

 

_“Hinata Shouyou?”_

 

“Yes, this is him. What’s up, doctor?” He asked nervously. Why is the doctor calling him so late?

 

 _“I tried to reach you at your home, but your mother informed me that you were at Oikawa’s. She wanted you to hear this news directly from me.”_ The doctor continued excitedly.

 

“Do you have good news?”

 

_“Oh yeah, very! You’ve been making great progress I see, already on crutches. Your wound is healing smoothly and I know how determined you are to get back on your feet. So, I’ve decided that, with increased padding and appropriate rehabilitation, you can start using a practise prosthesis again.!”_

“Oh my god…!” Hinata was ecstatic to say the least, barely hearing any of the details his doctor explained to him, his mother would know them anyway, before he thanked him and said good bye.

 

“TOORU!!” Hinata yelled, even though he was right next to him. Oikawa saw Hinata’s golden brown eyes shine and was extremely curious as to what made him so happy. “I CAN START USING A LEG AGAIN!”

 

“Shouyou, that is AMAZING!” Oikawa was just as happy and excited as Hinata himself. The smaller boy jumped off the kitchen counter he was sitting on straight into Oikawa’s arms, who caught him with ease. “I knew you could do it!”

 

“I can start learning how to walk again!” Hinata was so extremely happy he had tears in his eyes. “A few months and I might even be able to play volleyball again!”

 

Oikawa couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Hinata’s eyes were in this moment, slightly watery and shining so bright, and he subconsciously glanced down at his lips. “I’m so happy for you, Shou…” He said, somewhat distracted by beauty in his arms.

 

Hinata noticed Oikawa glancing down, and he leaned forward slightly. “T-Tooru…” he whispered, before Oikawa leaned forward and closed the space between them. Hinata froze for a split-second, but quickly relaxed and closed his eyes, appreciating the sweet taste of Oikawa’s lips. He opened his mouth slightly, allowing Oikawa to slip his tongue into Hinata’s mouth as the kiss deepened. A few minutes later they finally broke apart, a string of saliva still connecting their lips as they gasped for air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully some shippers are very happy right now!  
> If you're not... don't give up hope just yet! Anything can happen still!
> 
> There will be a couple more chapters, but we're over half-way!  
> So, you all know what that means... get ready for some angst :)


	8. We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Interhigh tournament is about to start, and Aoba Johsai just had to be sorted into the same block as Karasuno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sort of the lead up to sad stuff that is guaranteed to happen because I really like angst:')

After that first kiss Hinata was scared that a part of their friendship would be broken, lost forever, and he was right. Something had changed between him and Oikawa. Straight after the kiss both boys could feel their friendship crumble, little cracks separating pieces that no longer fit together when that fine line between friendship and romance had been crossed. But as the weeks progressed, something new was being created. Out of the ashes of a once beautiful friendship rose a relationship like no other.

It was the little things that made the difference. Instead of walking a few feet apart, they’d hold hands on their way to school. Instead of the usual morning greetings, there was a little peck on the cheek added to it. Instead of separating after lunch to go to their own class, Oikawa would walk Hinata to his first. They didn’t try to hide their relationship, and Hinata could feel the jealous looks of Oikawa’s fangirls every time they’d get close to each other, but he didn’t care.

Their team was completely fine with it too. It wasn’t hard to see the chemistry between the two boys. The way Hinata’s eyes shone brightly as he looked up to Oikawa. The way Oikawa’s cheeks would turn bright red every time the little sunshine did something new. They absolutely _adored_ one another.

While Hinata was still happily practising as much as he could at Aoba Johsai and improving every day, Karasuno wasn’t doing too well. The loss of one of their star players had hit them hard, and practise was way too quiet without Hinata.

“Sorry to interrupt!” Takeda-sensei yelled out as he opened the gym doors, tipping his shoes off and walking inside. “The program for the Interhigh Tournament has been released!”

A few seconds later and everyone was already sitting in a circle around Takeda-sensei and their coach, eager to find out who they would be versing in the tournament. Coach Ukai took his time reading through the blocks, frowning here and there before looking at his weakened team.

“It’s gonna be hard.” He started off. “We’re in Block A, and the other teams are very strong.” He paused as he waited for his team’s reaction, surprised by how determined everyone looked. “There’s Tokonami High School, not very well known. I believe they haven’t made it past the first round in the last few years, and I don’t expect them to this year either. Their first match is against Date Tech.”

As soon as coach said the name, a soft gasp could be heard coming from Asahi, and the remaining second and third years gave him a worried look. Aware of what had happened the year before, Ukai continued. “Don’t worry,” he looked at Asahi and Nishinoya in particular. “Are they strong? Yes. Is their iron wall almost impossible to break? Also, yes. But, as I said, _almost._ We will find a way to beat them, if we get there.”

“If?” Sugawara stepped in, “don’t you mean _‘when’_ , coach?” Being as determined as he always is, Suga expected their coach to have a little more faith in them.

“Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe in you and your playing abilities. What I’m most worried about will be your mental states.”

As soon as coach said that everyone had a feeling where this was going, and gave him worried looks, awaiting confirmation of what they’d hoped didn’t have to happen.

“Your first match is against Aoba Johsai…” All members sighed deeply, already dreading having to fight against someone they still considered part of their team, but they at least expected it. Kageyama, on the other hand, hadn’t thought this far ahead and was left with his eyes wide and lips parted slightly, lacking the vocabulary to describe his feelings.

“Hinata…” Kageyama croaked out. If they didn’t know before, by this point everyone was aware of the strong feelings he had towards the middle blocker. Yes, they raced all the time, battled over everything, but when it comes to volleyball Kageyama wanted nothing more than to play _with_ him, not _against_ him.

“It’ll be okay!” Takeda-sensei cut in, trying to lighten the mood and give the team some motivation back. “Considering the severity of Hinata’s injury, I’d say it’s unlikely he’s already playing again.”

“Sensei has a point.” Daichi stood up, moving towards the front of the group. “It’ll be the same Aoba Johsai as before, except the orange hair will be cheering for them instead of us. So, let’s give him a show! Let’s show Hinata who his volleyball family really is, what team he really belongs on and what he’s missing out on, yeah?” Daichi said proudly, knowing exactly what would get his team motivated. And it worked for everyone… almost everyone.

Kageyama walked home that day, once again on his own, bored and sulking and missing Hinata. He’d run but, what’s the point if _he_ ’s not here to challenge him? He’d go get meat buns but, what’s the point when _he_ ’s not here to enjoy them with him. He’d practise volleyball but, what’s the point when _he_ ’s not here to spike his best sets?

_Shut up, Tobio. You don’t think that. You love volleyball._

Few kilometres later and Kageyama arrived home, jamming his keys into the lock and angrily kicking his front door open. Not bothering to check if anyone else was there, he made his way up to his room and plopped down on his bed. For the first time in his life, he absolutely _dreaded_ the upcoming match.

_Would it be weird if I text him?_ Kageyama hadn’t spoken to him in a few weeks, the last contact being Hinata telling him that he finally got his first prosthetic leg again, and now Kageyama was surprisingly nervous to contact him again. The sheer happiness he felt when he heard that Hinata could start walking again, followed by the slowly growing disappointment afterwards when their conversation ended kind of killed his spirits.

 

**[18:37] To: Hinata Shouyou**

_Have you seen the program for Inter High yet? Looks like we’ll be playing against each other…_

 

After a moment of hesitation, he pressed send, anxiously awaiting a response that never came.

 

**[20:54] To: Hinata Shouyou**

_Maybe we can meet up before the match?_

**[21:23] To: Hinata Shouyou**

_Haven’t spoken in a while… You must be busy…_

Visibly disappointed, Kageyama hopped in the shower, where he stayed way too long, before getting into bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting till he fell asleep, if sleep would come at all. 

* * *

“Should I text him back?” Hinata asked for the thousand time that evening. Oikawa raised his eyebrows, looking at his boyfriend through the bathroom mirror.

“Bwaht?” He replied with a mouth full of toothpaste, earning him a chuckle.

“I mean, he seems to really want a reply, but-“

“But you don’t want to lie to him…” Oikawa quickly rinsed his mouth before walking over to Hinata.

“But I can’t tell him the truth either. I’ve seen how he reacts towards you, and h-how he feels about me...?” Hinata continued uncertainly. “He can’t know we’re together. I may not remember him, and he may not seem like the nicest person, but I don’t want him to hurt.”

Oikawa smiled and gave his boyfriend a soft peck on the lips. “This is why I love you.” He paused and then continued. “The game is in a week. You’re gonna see him there anyway, we are against them, so there’s no avoiding that. If you don’t want to text him, how about I text Suga instead?”

Hinata nodded, sighing deeply. “Yeah, that might be best.”

“Hmm ok. Let’s go to bed then, you coming with me?”

* * *

“What the hell is he doing?”

“Who knows… it’s Oikawa, I’m not even surprised.” The Karasuno boys walked into the huge gymnasium to strange sight of Oikawa talking, almost begging, to one of the referees. Deciding to just ignore Oikawa for now, they got set up on their side of the court and started their warm-up, beginning with stretching before moving on to drills.

_“SHOUYOU!”_ The entire team froze in their tracks as they heard Oikawa’s loud voice from across the court, way too excited to have any consideration for other teams and spectators present. They converted their attention to the gym doors to see the orange haired boy walk through the door, and felt a pang of hurt in their chests when he directed his bright smile to their rival team.

“Tooru!” If Hinata could run, he would, but unfortunately his current prosthetic doesn’t allow him to. “What’d they say?”

“YES! Shouyou, you’re gonna be in the game!!”

“He’s… playing?” Karasuno looked at the pair in confusion. They hadn’t counted on actually having to verse _Hinata_ , but more importantly they couldn’t see _how_ he could possibly play. He can’t even walk without a slight limp, let alone run, jump, or dive for a ball.

Before they could do anything to stop him, Kageyama was already making his way over to Hinata and his former senpai. “You’re playing.” He stated bluntly, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“K-Kageyama h-hey! Didn’t expect to talk to you so soon.” Hinata replied nervously, subconsciously taking a step back.

“Yeah well, you’ve been ignoring me, and I don’t know why-” It was clear this wasn’t a statement, but a question.

“I think we have to go now.” Oikawa interrupted, saving Hinata from either having to lie to Kageyama’s face or tell him the truth, including their relationship status, which he was not ready for. “You know, get him warmed up for the game.”

Kageyama hated himself for it, but he couldn’t help the blush on his face as felt his heartrate pick up at Hinata’s excitement.

“It’s gonna be really cool, Kageyama! You’re gonna be so surprised!” Hinata yelled before he walked off, Oikawa following directly behind him.

Angrily Kageyama stormed back to his own team, walking straight past them. “He’s being stupid.” He growled, reaching for a volleyball and spiking it as hard as he could.

_Oh boy._ Ukai thought to himself as he looked over at Takeda, who looked just as worried.

_This is gonna be one interesting match._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO HERE WE GO  
> f i n a l l y another chapter! I know this is so so late oops but I'm in my last year of high school so it's crazy busy!  
> But do not fear... the next chapter is already halfway done. This chapter and the next were supposed to be one, but it started getting really long so I decided to split them up.  
> I know exactly what I want to happen next, so the next update will be a lot sooner than this!


	9. An Unexpected Turn of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long-awaited match between Aoba Johsai and Karasuno finally takes place, and Karasuno is in for a big surprise. Kageyama decides he wants to reunite with Hinata, but not everything goes as he had planned.

It wasn’t surprising that Aoba Johsai completely dominated the first set of the game. A weakened Karasuno, still in shock from the news that Hinata will actually be playing, versus a strong and excited Aoba Johsai was expected to be a quick and easy match.

After losing the first set with a difference of five points, Karasuno looked visibly disappointed, but they started regaining some of their confidence when they noticed the gap slowly decreasing during the second set. The closer to the end of it, the easier it became to break through Aoba Johsai’s wall and receive their ace’s spikes. The team was restless, allowing Karasuno to win the set.

“I thought you had it organised?” Oikawa and Iwaizumi stood in front of their coach during the break, who kept checking his phone. “I knew we should’ve just asked your mother, Iwa-chan.”

“No, no! My brother should be here any second now!” The coach said defensively, having full faith that he would make it on time.

“If Hinata doesn’t get to play because of this I’m quitting the team.” Oikawa threatened, which gained him a glare from Iwaizumi.

Not long after, the doors to the gym opened and a man ran in, carrying a chair unlike any Karasuno had seen before. The chair-on-a-table construction that Hinata had been using to practise so far was everything but safe, so all members of the volleyball team put in some money and got coach’s brother to create a high seat specifically for Hinata, perfect for a volleyball match.

To say that Karasuno was confused was an understatement, and when the chair was placed in the corner of their court they couldn’t believe their eyes.

“So, Hinata is playing… while sitting down?” Noya asked in disbelief, before he got excited, “That’s so cool! Why didn’t we ever think of that?”

“I wonder how they’re gonna play like this, though.” Daichi looked deep in thought. “I mean, Hinata won’t be able to receive and protect that area of the court. He won’t be able to jump or adjust to the setter, so Oikawa will have to set the ball perfectly every time, almost like Kageyama had to. To top it all off, I don’t think Hinata’s arms being strong enough to spike from all the way over there? Especially without a running start?”

That’s where Karasuno was very wrong. Having no legs to use, Hinata had been training his arms every day, both in practise and at home. They couldn’t help but think they had this game in the bag, but that thought quickly disappeared when they noticed the receivers spread themselves around the court in such a way that, even though Hinata was no help, the entire court was protected as if they’d been practising receives with just 5 people for years.

When Hinata made his first spike they knew for certain; this is going to be impossible to win. Although Oikawa’s set was nowhere near as perfect as Kageyama’s, something that made Karasuno’s setter smirk proudly, Hinata made up for it with power. His new-found strength in his arms allowed him to spike the ball straight through Karasuno’s wall and past their libero.

Again, it was no surprise that Karasuno lost the third set by even more than the first. It didn’t help that Kageyama kept getting distracted by Hinata, who’s eyes sparkled beautifully every time he spiked and who’s smile still made Kageyama feel weak. He just wanted Hinata to smile at him like that again. He wanted to be the one to give Hinata a high-five when they scored a point and wanted to run to the change rooms with him after a game again, instead of having to watch him get smaller and smaller as he walked away from him with the person he despised most.

“Kageyama, it’s time to leave.” Suga handed him his water bottle, but Kageyama didn’t move. “Hey, the next match is starting soon. We’re done for the day, we’re getting changed.”

“I need to talk to him.” Kageyama stated. “Not Hinata, Oikawa-senpai.”

“Oikawa? Why?”

“Because I miss Hinata. I want us to be friendly again. If that means I have to talk to Oikawa, then I will.” Kageyama said very determined, already walking off in their direction.

“Ok, ok! But not now. They just beat us, this is not a good time. You’re upset, I can see it. I have Oikawa’s address, I’ll forward it to you and you can stop by tonight, yeah?”

Not particularly happy, but understanding nonetheless, Kageyama accepted it and followed Suga to their lockers. All the Aoba Johsai team members were having a great time together, excited about their win and the fact that Hinata got to play with them. It probably was a good thing that Kageyama didn’t see Hinata with them in that moment, because it would only have made things worse.

* * *

 

“How good was today!” Hinata excitedly exclaimed when Oikawa and he got back to their bedroom at Oikawa’s house. “That was my first game in so long, I almost forgot what it felt like to spike a volleyball in an official match.” Hinata stared at his hand proudly, thinking of all the points he scored today.

“You were amazing, Shouyou. No one expected you to have become so strong!” Oikawa sat next to him on the bed as he gave him a hand in taking off his prosthetic leg.

“Karasuno looked sad, though, to see me with you guys.” Hinata sighed as he leaned back against his pillow. “I feel like I should feel bad? I could feel Kageyama staring at me the whole time…”

Oikawa sat in between Hinata legs as he looked him in the eyes, “That’s what we expected, though, wasn’t it? You can’t help it, it’s ok.”

“I’m gonna be friends with him again.” Hinata said softly, more to himself than to Oikawa. “That’d be nice, I reckon.”

“Good decision.” Oikawa smiled, thinking back to his conversation about Kageyama with Suga. It’ll be good for the both of them. _As long as Kageyama doesn’t steal Hinata away from me as his boyfriend._

“Shouyou~” Oikawa hummed. He knew he had no competition in Kageyama, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous anyway.

“Tooru, what do you think you’re doing?” Hinata cheekily responded, knowing full well where this was going.

Instead of answering, Tooru leaned over Hinata’s small body as he pressed his lips against Hinata’s, bringing his hand up to the hem of Hinata’s top. Hinata giggled as he slid down, now lying flat on the bed underneath Oikawa.

“Your hands are cold.” Hinata laughed, and Oikawa just smirked as he moved them around Hinata’s torso, tracing his slightly defined abs and teasing his most sensitive areas, before taking both their shirts off, letting them land messily on the floor.

Quickly Hinata pushed himself up a little bit, enough to wrap his arms around Oikawa’s neck and pull him down with him. He lightly bit Oikawa’s bottom lip and pulled it back, before fully pressing his lips against Oikawa’s again, letting his tongue slide inside as they explored each other’s mouth in a heated kiss. Oikawa ran his hands through Hinata’s wild and fluffy hair, loving the way it tickles against his forehead.

Hinata let out a soft moan at the feeling, running his hands over Oikawa’s muscly back. He smiled as he felt Oikawa push his legs further apart with his knees.

“T-Tooru…” Hinata moaned, louder this time, as he felt Oikawa repeatedly grind down on him, the friction between their still-clothed members getting him more and more excited. He let his head fall back, closing his eyes as he was about to buck his hips upwards, pressing up harder against Oikawa in need of more, when suddenly they both froze in their movements. They looked each other in the eyes, both of them mildly panicked as the door opened and they heard a familiar voice speak…

* * *

 

Kageyama was surprisingly nervous as he started his walk over to Oikawa’s house. He hasn’t been alone with Oikawa since the last time they were on the same volleyball team together, both being perfectionists and staying late to practise nearly every day. Even when Hinata was at the hospital his other team members were always there with him. Suga offered to come with him, but he declined. This is something he needed to do on his own.

_Oikawa knows Hinata better than I do now._ Kageyama thought to himself. _Surely, he would know what I can do to become Hinata’s friend again._

He paused for a second to catch his breath before walking up the driveway, hesitantly knocking on Oikawa’s front door, which was opened by a lady he hasn’t seen in years. _No going back now._ He thought.

“Kageyama?” Oikawa’s mother looked surprised. “What brings you here today?”

“Hi Mrs Oikawa, nice to see you again. I was hoping Oikawa was home?”

“You’re in luck! He’s right upstairs in his room. Surely you remember, right? The volleyball club has been there often enough. My, my, have you gotten taller! Here, let me take your umbrella, you go see Tooru.” Oikawa’s mother was as happy and charming as he remembered, it was no mystery where Oikawa got all his good traits from.

“Thank you, Mrs Oikawa.” Kageyama nodded as he made his way upstairs.

He took a deep breath as he knocked twice before slowly opening the door. “Oikawa-senpai? Your mother let me up I-”

  _No…_

Kageyama froze at the sight in front of him. Hinata; his best friend; his crush; the person he cares about more than anyone else in the world, half naked on his senpai’s bed with Oikawa on top of him.

“H-Hina-” He didn’t have the words to describe how he felt in that moment. Hurt? Betrayed? Heartbroken? All of the above?

“Tobio-chan…” Oikawa gasped, this was the last thing any of them wanted to happen.

“Since when are you-? Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Tears formed in Kageyama’s eyes. All of these emotions at once becoming too much for him as he could feel himself starting to panic.

_Calm down, Tobio._ He tried to tell himself, but to no avail. Everyone is leaving him again. He could feel the chances of Hinata coming back to him decrease by the second. Once again, there would be no one to spike with him. He would never be able to run home with Hinata again, eat meat buns together again… laugh together again... His last bit of hope had left him.

“Kageyama, please! Stay! We should talk!” He could hear Hinata desperately yelling behind him, but his body moved on his own. He couldn’t think straight as he ran down the stairs and out the door, leaving his umbrella behind but not even noticing the rain.

Hinata wanted nothing more than to go after him. He wanted to be friends again. He didn’t want to hurt Kageyama at all, but right now he had. Hinata had hurt Kageyama in the worst way possible. Both him and Oikawa, however, knew there was no point in going after Kageyama now. They’d already heard the front door slam shut, and by the time Hinata would have his prosthetic leg back on, he’d be long gone.

Kageyama could feel his phone vibrate in his bag, but he ignored it. In this moment he couldn’t care less about Oikawa, or even Hinata. He’d seen enough.

He kept running and running, through the city, across the train tracks and up the mountain. He didn’t care that he was taking the long way home, even though it was pouring down rain. He just wanted to get the image out of his head.

His vision was blurry, tears clouding his eyes as he ran too close to the middle of the road, the lack of a railing making the mountain roads quite dangerous in such weather conditions.

_It wasn’t supposed to be like this._ He thought to himself. _Today shouldn’t have gon-_

A loud honk broke his thoughts as his eyes shot up, staring into the headlights of car coming straight at him. Kageyama’s fast reflexes took over and he jumped to the side, narrowly dodging.

_That was close._

Kageyama stumbled at the sudden change of direction, slowing down as he tried to keep his balance on the very edge of the road, before everything went wrong.

The road was too slippery, his vision too blurry and his legs too tired as he lost his footing, trying to grab onto whatever he could when he felt himself tip over the edge, and he could see the long way down the mountain below him.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK!  
> Half a year later and I've finally found some new motivation! I've got everything planned out right to the end, so (if everything goes to plan) expect nearly weekly updates. There's a few more chapters left!  
> Hopefully you guys are still reading this story and hopefully you won't be too disappointed by these new chapters omg  
> Feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to hear what you think!


	10. There's Not Always Sunshine After Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys receive some very unexpected news at school, and not all of them know how to handle it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE BACK AGAIN!  
> I know it has been legit more than half a year, again, but I hope you'll still read it!  
> If you don't quite remember what happened before, the last half/three quarters/ending of the previous chapter should get you back up to speed!

“Can you believe this?!” Noya complained as he entered the gym, soaking wet and considerably late. “15 hours and counting, is this rain ever gonna stop?” Kiyoko came over with a towel before he got the entire gym wet, which he more than happily accepted.

Daichi clapped his hands loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “Now that Noya is finally here…” He glared at the second year, who quickly threw up his hands in defence.

“Hey! It’s the rain! Mum wouldn’t let me ride my bike because the roads are slippery an-” Noya sighed in exasperation when he realised Daichi was only joking, and he fell for it. Again.

Daichi smirked before continuing. “…we can finally start practise. Make sure you warm up properly today, it’s quite cold out.”

“We’re still missing Kageyama, captain.” A small female voice could be heard from the side of the court.

Tsukishima laughed sarcastically. “Maybe _the King_ didn’t want to get wet. He’s probably waiting for the rain to stop, afraid he might melt.”

They kept going on like that for a while, debating which excuse Kageyama would use when he walks through that door. He’s never been late before, and everyone knows he’s not the best liar – like at all – so whichever one it is, it’s gonna be an hilarious scene.

Except Kageyama didn’t walk through that door. 10 more minutes had passed… 20 minutes… half an hour… The warm up had long finished and they were almost done with their routine drills. As soon as Ukai showed up they could start an actual practise match. Kageyama would not be happy when he finds out they started the match without him, even though it’s only practise, so he better hurry.

That Ukai was late wasn’t at all strange, it happens quite often actually, they were used to it. Their coach coming in all quiet and serious, however, was very rare. Instead of him yelling that the boys were being too loud so early in the morning, coach entered quietly with Takeda-sensei following him not long after, a blank expression on his face.

“Guys, gather around, please.” Ukai motioned for everyone to come over and they quickly stopped what they were doing, forming a circle around Ukai. “Let’s sit down for a bit.”

The boys looked at each other questioningly, seeing if anyone else had any idea of what this was about, but even their captain was clueless.

“Is this about the game we lost, coach?” Daichi asked when he noticed Ukai was struggling to find the right words. “We’re sad about that too, of course, but it’s nothing we can’t deal with. It’s not the first time this happened, we’ll do better nex-”

“No, no, no, I’m not worried about that, I know you guys are strong enough to handle defeat.” Ukai stopped for a second, gathering his thoughts. “It is _because_ you guys are so strong, that I’m going to deliver this news to you straight. You deserve to be the first ones to hear it, right here, right now.”

The confused looks on each of the boys’ faces slowly turned into worry instead. “Coach..?”

“It’s about Kageyama.” With all their thoughts focused on this strange situation, they almost forgot that Kageyama wasn’t here yet. “Because as you’ve probably noticed, Kageyama hasn’t arrived yet…”

Ukai paused again, unintentionally making the boys even more worried. They were strong, yes. But are they really strong enough to handle _this_?

“He won’t come back to play volleyball with us anymore.” He looked over at Takeda, who gave him a small nod of encouragement.

“Why not? That’s so sudden, did he get a better offer? A powerhouse school maybe?” Suga interrupted Ukai to try and make sense of the situation. “Shiratorizawa?”

“No, no, no, it’s nothing like that.”

_C’mon Keishin, just say it._

“I am so sorry… Kageyama has… he has passed away. He died last night.” There was silence for a few moments. Nothing but the sound of their breathing and the outside rain could be heard as they tried to process those words that no one had expected.

“He was found early this morning, near the mountain.” Takeda continued. “A few meters down from the road, he must’ve fallen off the edge. They’re investigating his… death… as we speak.”

“You’re lying.” Yamaguchi was the first to speak. “Hah, of course! This is all a joke, right?”

“Yamaguchi, no-”

“We’re bummed out about losing the game, and they’re trying to cheer us up by pulling a prank.” Yamaguchi stood up, hopeful. “Kageyama is just outside, right?”

Coach shook his head, looking up at Yamaguchi with regret in his eyes.

“This is just a joke… right?” He didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t. But the genuine tear falling from Takeda’s eye was all the confirmation he needed. “Right…” Slowly he sank back down, facing away from the rest of the team as he could feel the tears well up in his eyes and his vision became cloudy. He let out a loud sob.

Minutes passed as they all sat there, together, in silence. Some of them cried, like Yamaguchi and Asahi. Kiyoko held a sobbing Yachi in her arms and Suga had never clung to Daichi as much as he had in that moment. Daichi, who tried to stay strong as captain, but everyone knew would let out his tears as soon as he was alone. Tanaka and Nishinoya just sat there, staring at nothing and unable to express how much this hurts them, and Tsukishima eyes looked empty, even more so than usual.

Finally, Ukai spoke up again. “You are all excused for today and the rest of the week. Take the time you need to grieve. Of course, you’re free to go class if you feel you are ready. We won’t have practise, but I’ll be here every day if you ever need to talk or just need someone who understands. You guys have each other. You’re not alone, understood?”

The boys nodded, one by one getting up and making their way to the club room. “I’m taking Yamaguchi home.” Tsukishima stated once they finished getting changed. Yamaguchi was a mess. Unlike Tsukishima, he couldn’t hide his emotions very well, but even Tsukishima had to admit he could use some alone time to let it all out.

“It’s gonna be ok.” Suga smiled at Yamaguchi weakly and gave him a quick pat on the back before they were gone. “I think I’m gonna go to class, I only have two today anyway. It’s exams soon…” He looked at Daichi, silently asking him if it was a good idea, and he was thinking the same thing. Asahi, to no one’s surprise, went home shortly after. He wasn’t as strong emotionally as the other third years.

“Me too.” Tanaka stated. “Noya?”

“Uhh…” He looked at Tanaka in confusion. “If you’re sure?” It was very much known to everyone that Tanaka did not like class and his attendance records were not the best. Wanting to go to class now of all times?

“Yeah, I’m fine!” He reassured his team, and he was surprisingly convincing. He truly did look fine, and he left the clubroom just like he did every other day. Noya quickly followed after.

Truth is, he wasn’t fine. He wasn’t fine at all. He just didn’t know how to show his emotions, because he’s never had to before.

Just because his classmates, aside from Nishinoya, didn’t know about what happened to Kageyama yet, didn’t mean they didn’t notice a change in Tanaka. He was too focused. He paid attention to everything the teacher said and even took notes. Usually he barely even took out a pen.

“Who are you and what did you do with Tanaka?” Whispered his friend sitting next to him in his ear, obviously joking around a bit, but Tanaka shushed him.

“Eh? What’s got you so focused today?” Another classmate followed. “Where is the Tanaka we know!” He continued louder, gaining him a stern glare from their teacher.

“Just leave me alone, yeah?” Nishinoya kept a close eye on Tanaka, because even he was unsure of where this was going.

“Pfft, rude. You’re no fun today.” Tanaka tried to just ignore them, he really did, but when he heard the whispers behind him continue he just couldn’t.

“Can you guys actually shut up? You’re really _freaking_ annoying!” He suddenly burst out, surprising everyone in the room.

“Tanaka! Sit down and be quiet, please.”

“ _Me_? Excuse me, miss, but have you not _heard_ everyone around me talking literally this whole time?” The teacher was rather annoyed that he talked back to her.

“Do you need to go cool off? You may step outside if you need to.”

“No! No, I don’t need to _cool off_ , I need to be here! What, just because I’m always the one talking, you can just pick on me whenever? Even when I’m actually focused it’s not good enough? It’s not fair to send me out. I need to stay. I need to focus! I-” Tanaka whipped his head around to face his friend. “What… did you just say to me?” He hissed.

“I said, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed tod-.”

“ _Fuck. You.”_ He spat.

“Tanaka, you need to leav-” Tanaka didn’t even hear his teacher.

“I _did_ wake up on the right side of the bed today. I was happy today. You have _no_ idea what has happened in the past few hours. I have _every right_ to be in a shitty mood, you asshole.”

“It’s just a few hours of a normal day, jeez. Calm down, it can’t be _that_ bad.” His friend said nonchalantly, knowing full well the teacher wouldn’t send him out too, because Tanaka was way worse.

“IT CAN’T BE THAT BAD? How about you go ask my friend Kageyama Tobio, the first year. Oh wait. You can’t, because he’s lying _fucking_ dead on the mounta-” Before he could continue, and boy did he have a lot more to say, Nishinoya grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the classroom, apologising to their teacher in the process.

“I think we should go home.” Tanaka expressed himself the only way he knew how to in the moment… with aggression. Angrily, he kicked over the chair standing in the hallway, swung at the picture frame hanging up and punched the wall before letting himself slide down it, sitting on the ground, panting.

“You don’t understand, Yuu. I can’t. I cannot go home. If I’m alone right now, I don’t know what I’ll do. I remember that feeling oh so clearly. When my parents passed away, I was alone too. I didn’t handle it well and look what I’ve become. Why do people have to die. Why do people have to die. Why do people have to die.”

He may have looked fine as he left the gym earlier this morning, but he definitely was not. It shows now. He looked small and vulnerable… scared. He wasn’t crying yet, no, Tanaka doesn’t cry. He hates showing weakness more than anything, and crying is the weakest state a human could be in. If it wasn’t for Suga walking past, Noya wouldn’t have known what he was supposed to do. He was dealing with this loss in his own way too, making it hard to fully think rationally, and he’s never seen Tanaka like this before.

“Boys? Hey, is everything ok?” Suga quickly jogged over once he spotted them sitting in the hallway.

“Ryu isn’t doing too well…” Noya explained what had happened and Suga nodded, not really surprised. “Do you have another class to go to?”

“I’m finished for the day, Daichi has one more hour to go, but he told me not to wait for him.” Suga motioned for the two second years to stand up and follow him. “Let me drive you home, he doesn’t look like he’s in a state to walk that far. This way I can talk to Saeko too.” Both Nishinoya and Tanaka were very grateful to Suga and gladly accepted the offer. Even Tanaka realised that school was not the right place for him to be right now.

By the time Daichi finished his last class for the day, they had already arrived at Tanaka’s and Suga had texted him letting him know what was going on. There’s two ways Daichi could take to get to his house. His usual route, through the park and along the river, and the quick way past the highway. Today, he chose the quick way. It’s been a long time since he walked here and being back reminded him of why he didn’t like this route. It’s more dangerous and less peaceful, but today he didn’t care. He just wanted to get home as soon as he could. His thoughts were getting the better of him.

“Daichi-honey? Are you home?” As soon as he heard his mum call for him when he closed the door behind him, he knew he wasn’t gonna last much longer. Without taking off his shoes or his jacket he sat down in the hallway, knees pulled up and back against the door. He’s been strong for his team all day… he can’t anymore.

“Daich- Oh no, Daichi…” His mother rushed to his side, kneeling down in front of the brave boy and pulling him in for a hug. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Mu-” Finally he let it all out. “It’s Kageyama, mum.” He cried. “Kageyama is dead, mum, he died.” It didn’t take long for Daichi’s mother to figure out what had happened, with all the news reports coming out today, victim’s name not yet released, and her crying son in her arms.

“I’m so, so sorry, Daichi. So sorry.”

“What’s gonna happen now, mum? He wasn’t supposed to die… he was so talented with so much potential. What about our team? Are they gonna be okay, mum?” He clung onto her tighter than she could ever remember. “And what about Hinata, does he already know? Who’s gonna tell him?” At this point Daichi was no longer crying, he was sobbing. Worrying about everyone but himself, as he always does. “I don’t think the boys are okay…”

“Let’s get you up and on the couch, yeah?” Gently she pushed him away from her and grabbed his hand, pulling him up. While Daichi got comfortable, or at least as comfortable as one could when you’re so upset, his mother made him some tea.

She was worried. Her son has always been very strong, break downs are very rare and she was very shocked to see him like this. Of course, this affects him greatly, it would be very concerning if it didn’t, but there was something she could see in his eyes. It’s fear for his team members. He is their captain and he takes his role very seriously. He failed to protect one of them and everyone is getting hurt.

“Get some rest, honey. Try to stop thinking for a little bit.” Hearing her voice was comforting to Daichi. The next few days were gonna be tough, very tough, for all of them, but as long as they will stick together, they will make it through.

_They have to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it! Did anyone notice the change in Archive warning? Spoiler hehe, but I think we all knew this was gonna happen.
> 
> I'm not gonna promise when the next chapter will be up, because we all know I don't stick to that ever whoops, but lets just say that the next chapter is already in the making!! My absolute FAVOURITE Haikyuu headcannon finally gets a time to shine, so I'm very very excited!! Look forward to it!! As much as one can look forward to a... funeral ;)
> 
> A moment of silence for Kageyama... Rest In Peace my sweet boy.
> 
> HOPE YOU LIKED IT! Remember to leave a comment and a kudo, I love hearing what you guys think!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So this is the first official fan fiction I've written for the Haikyuu fandom! Hopefully you like it, I've got loads more ideas for this fan fiction AND I've already got some different fan fictions planned, so stay tuned for more! Enjoy!
> 
> P.s. I have no experience with any of the events happening in this story. Please consider everything as fictional and the medical procedures and conditions, etc. will most likely not be correct in real life. 
> 
> P.p.s I do not own the Haikyuu characters.


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